With the change in economy the job market has shifted and talented employees have become harder to find. These days it’s more likely that a candidate will pick an employer, rather than the other way round. The lack of skilled workers makes it hard for businesses to fill vacancies, which can lead to poor choices when it comes to hiring. The war for talent is on and employers are battling for the best candidates – what can companies do to give themselves the competitive edge?

What is Employer Branding?

Employer Branding refers to the creation and maintenance of an employer brand, the concept of which is based on strengthening the corporate public image. In the face of the current skill shortages, a good employer branding can give a company the competitive edge when it comes to attracting employees. A recent Twitter post illustrates how influential employer branding has become: “I met a Google employee last night, he was everything I imagined a Google employee would be. Smart, funky and cool.”

What are the effects of Employer Branding?

Successful and well sustained employer branding not only increases the quality and flow of incoming job applicants, but it also boosts the confidence of existing employees. A strong employer brand can be a source of pride for staff, it bonds them to the company on an emotional level therefore improving employee engagement and ultimately, retention. A strong employer branding will result in candidates (and existing employees) automatically associating the employer name with positive employer characteristics. As a result of this positive association, it is more likely that potential employees will pick these companies over their competitors.

Creating Your Own Employer Brand

Creating and sustaining an employer brand isn’t necessarily an easy task but a good place to begin is an evaluation of the company strengths:

What makes sets us aside from other employers?
Why should an applicant choose us over our competitors?
What will make a talented individual want to stay with us?

By narrowing down exactly what makes their company unique and desirable, employers begin to develop an employer brand that will naturally attract their target audiences.

Where is Employer Branding used?

External employer branding can be showcased in a number of ways, essentially anywhere where the company is presented to the public eye. As with any product brand, an employer branding can be conveyed via text, image, graphics, photographs, video, testimonials etc. The following are current popular areas of branding:

The company website/blog
Company correspondence, email, letter or otherwise
Social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter
Company Videos on Youtube
School/college/university and networking fairs
Job adverts
Advertising campaigns

An authentic employer branding is showcased from within the company as well as externally. It is no use for a company to advertise themselves as desirable employers, when the reality says otherwise. Therefore, it is vital that employers live up to the employer branding that enticed their employees in the first place. For example, if a company brands themselves as fun, forward thinking and modern then the working environment and employers need to reflect these qualities. By not living up to their employer branding, companies can actively bring down their reputation.

Employer Branding with softgarden

Softgarden can help any business in creating a unique and attractive employer brand that will set them apart from the rest. Our clever software allows companies to create attractive ads using pre-prepared templates, ready for the web. Users can upload their company logo, images and colors to maintain their existing employer brand. We also offer professional copywriting and photography services, to help capture an employer brand in both word and image.

Softgarden software allows companies to quickly and easily multi-post their ads to university and college websites, as well as mainstream job boards, the corporate website and all of the company social media channels. See the softgarden website for more information.